In Ireland, one of the most Catholic nations on earth, hundreds of thousands voted overwhelmingly in a general referendum to enact marriage equality for lesbian and gay couples.

In El Salvador, a strongly Catholic nation, hundreds of thousands turned out for beatification ceremonies for Archbishop Oscar Romero, who was martyred 35 years ago while celebrating Mass.

What do these two stories have in common? In both cases, the opinion of Catholic lay people has won the day, even when the church’s hierarchy opposed both developments. In both cases, the sense of the faithful overcame institutional fears and customs. In both cases, Catholic ideals were articulated and lived out by the laity.

In Ireland, the Catholic bishops spoke out consistently against the establishment of marriage equality. Their statements have been documented here on this blog. But lay people insisted that allowing lesbian and gay couples to marry was consistent with Catholic principles of equality, fairness, human dignity, and family stability.

In El Salvador, lay people instantly declared Romero as a saint at the time of his death, but his cause for canonization was hindered during the papacies of John Paul II and Benedict XVI because Vatican officials feared any possible endorsement of liberation theology. But lay people, especially those who were living in poverty, insisted that Romero, who defended their rights and human dignity fearlessly, was indeed worthy of veneration as a martyr.

Crowds gather for the beatification Mass for Archbishop Oscar Romero in El Salvador.

In both of these cases, the prayers and work of lay people have won out over hierarchical reluctance.

New Ways Ministry prays with joy for both nations for their courage and determination to bring about justice and Catholic ideals into the public square.

There is still work to be done in both cases. In El Salvador, the advancement towards canonizing Romero as a saint must still be completed. The support of Pope Francis in this case may help to speed up the process.

In Ireland, the Catholic Church there needs to learn to work together once again–hierarchy and laity. There will be pastoral work needed to help unite Catholics who were opposed during the marriage equality campaign. U.S. bishops who have been involved in marriage equality debates have yet to do this type of work, and our church is hurting and losing many of the faithful because of omission of this step.

In Ireland, the job may be a bit lighter because the hierarchy’s leader, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin (vice- president of the nation’s bishops conference) has been extremely courteous in their opposition to marriage equality. While maintaining consistent and strong opposition to marriage equality, he also voiced respect for those who held a different opinion. He worked hard for his position, but he worked even harder to make sure that those who disagreed with him would not be alienated from the Church.

Congratulations and prayerful thanks to the Catholics of Ireland who have shown what we here in the U.S. have known for a long time: that Catholic lay people support marriage equality because they are Catholic, not in spite of being Catholic.

Congratulations and prayerful best wishes to the Catholics of El Salvador who have shown that the preferential option for the poor is a pillar of Catholicism and that our church should honor those who live out that principle even in the face of violent opposition.

Yesterday was a day when, to paraphrase Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the arc of the moral universe bent a little more toward justice.

God bless the Irish people who are the first truly Christian/Catholic nation for their inclusivity/universalism. Opponents of marriage equality have said many times that “marriage” is for the sanctification of the couple/the relationship. All the more so, then, why deny it to a couple of the same gender? For millenia marriage was entered into not because a man and a woman loved each other but because their parents or someone else decided they should unite, and often for economic reasons … not to lose property. That still takes place in so-called “royal families,” so that even other prohibitions are overlooked … like “religious differences.” Vox populi, Vox Dei seems to fit this occasion. What a wonderful gift of the Holy Spirit the season of Shavuot and Pentecost. The Spirit will renew the face of the earth. THANK GOD!!

Maith thú! On both developments, it shows people who Catholics really are — and that message is clearer than ever, in spite of what some in Church leadership continue to say. Much credit to the Pope for this, as well as the people of Ireland and El Salvador for their voices and tenacity!

Archbishop Romero has long been a hero of mine. I am glad that his sacrifice is being recognized despite the cowardice and hypocrisy of the previous two popes. Pope Francis is indeed a breath of fresh air and by his manner he will bring the disenfranchised back to the church, much like his namesake, St Francis of Assisi did in the 13th century. As for Ireland, color me surprised. The Irish are so conservative I would never have thought they would lead the way to equality. The Spirit of God is upon them.

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[…] tradition is rooted in the nation’s martyrs, including Blessed Oscar Romero who was not beatified, due to conservative opposition, until Pope Francis. Shortly before his assassination, Romero told […]

[…] In between, there were many positive Catholic LGBT developments around the world including Ireland’s marriage referendum, for which she campaigned when she visited the Emerald Isle. (And she’ll be returning to […]

[…] citizens can celebrate 2015 as an historic year for LGBT equality in their nation. Most notably, voters approved marriage equality through a constitutional referendum in May. This was followed by inclusive nondiscrimination […]

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